Band Pretty Good, Service Pretty Bad

March 14, 1986|By Joan Brazer, nightlife

Tuesday night is supposed to be Ladies` Night at Marina Bay. But if the way a friend and I were treated last Tuesday night is any example of the way this establishment treats women who come alone, I think it is a place I`ll pass in the future.

We decided to have dinner before going into the lounge, something to tide us over until the live entertainment started in the next room. We waited in a not very long line, with a couple in front of us and one behind.

The couple in front was seated first and then the people behind us. I asked why the ones in the rear were seated before us. ``They have reservations,`` the hostess said curtly.

Then she went to seat a small group who again entered after us. I thought I heard her ask if they had reservations and thought they said no. But I wanted to be sure. As the party passed, I asked if their group had reservations. ``No,`` someone said. ``I didn`t think you needed them.``

We continued to be ignored, were totally neglected by the hostess, and had to find the manager in order to be seated.

When Marina Bay was the hottest thing in town maybe it did not matter how the customers were treated. It was once the best place to go, dance and meet people. Part of it was private, but a lounge was opened to the public.

It still has the rustic exterior and interior design. Goldfish swim in an outdoor pond, and houseboats and a share of visiting yachts are docked at the pier.

But the crowded bar scene, which was the same regardless of the time or day of week, was gone when I was there. In fact, for a Ladies` Night, there were not many unescorted women.

Because there were so few people there when the band began, it was difficult to appreciate the music. It was quiet and the musicians from Honolulu wearing flowered shirts and playing island music seemed lost without an audience.

Aloha is the name of the ensemble, a group of entertainers who performed in Wildwood, N.J., for nine years and tour the Playboy circuit. When they start their second set, they move from island songs to Top 40. This is what they do best at the New River Storehouse Lounge. Aloha seems to come alive when the music is up-tempo.

Prices for drinks at the New River Storehouse Lounge are reasonable. Our bill, for $8.45, bought two glasses of wine and a scotch and water.

OUT AND ABOUT

Remember Tony Chance from Mother Tuckers and the Brickyard, to name only two of the many places he performed in South Florida? He was a Neil Diamond-type, a piano-playing singer some thought sang as well as -- if not better than -- Diamond. He went to Nashville for a while in order to make his way in the contemporary country music field.

Tony is back, ready to present a new image to his hometown. He cut a country record, Would You Like to Be a Lover Tonight and has four more singles on the Motion label ready to go. Right now, he`s at Snuffy`s (the old Brickyard on Commercial Boulevard) for a six-week engagement, with shows at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Have you noticed how comics are suddenly appearing everywhere? Buddy Hackett and Joan Rivers were at the Diplomat this season. Milton Berle was at Sunrise Musical Theatre. A new local promoter, Johnny Wells, started bringing contemporary comics to the Parker Playhouse.

Dania`s comedy workshop closed but then the Comedy Woom opened in Miami Beach, balancing things a bit. The Comic Strip in Fort Lauderdale continues to attract crowds year after year. Yet all this time there wasn`t much funny happening on a regular basis in Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach resident John Stoll, the man who made Fantasma Productions into a major concert promotion company and opened the Carefree Theatre in West Palm Beach as a concert hall, decided it was time to produce a professional comedy nightclub in West Palm Beach.

``People want to laugh and be happy,`` Stoll said when questioned about his latest move. ``I felt there was a void to be filled.``

His Comedy Corner debuted at the Carefree two weeks ago. The Comedy Corner is open Thursday through Sunday with two shows nightly. The cover charge is $3 on Thursdays, $5 on weekends and there`s a two-drink minimum. Advance tickets are available at all BASS outlets or may be reserved by calling 833-1812.

Ambrosia, according to Webster and Greek mythology, is ``the food of immortals and gods.`` In Pompano Beach, it is the name of a Greek restaurant with a lounge featuring something different in the way of entertainment. Wednesday through Sunday, beginning at 7:30 p.m., you can dance to live bouzouki or Greek guitar music.